Booth's Phone Call
by Ignorance-Your New Best Friend
Summary: A member of the team is taken by a serial killer that just escaped... can they get ... back? My first fanfic, posted here for fun... not as much fun for me but reading the review will be! *hint* It was before the whole 100th episode thing.
1. Chapter 1

**This was my first fanfic that I wrote, and I thought that I should post it here, for fun. Though it's not that fun for me... but the reviews will be! *hint***

"Booth, what is it?" as she waited for an answer, Booth was silent. "Um, nothing, just looking in on you, you know, tough case and all…" Brennan, at her own home, used the light on her phone to look at her watch. "Booth, it's four in the morning. I'm going back to sleep now." He's been acting really strange lately, she thought. "Um… yeah, ok Bones… see you at work." He hung up.

Booth was lying across the sofa, fully dressed, watching tv, because he wasn't able to sleep. He had thought that acting normal around her was going to be easy, but it had been getting harder and harder lately. He was constantly thinking about her, he couldn't get her out of his head. It was frustrating. When he was near her, he had to hold back, and stop himself from telling her how he really felt. But he was sure that she didn't feel the same way. She didn't believe in love. Why had he rung her? He had no idea. He knew it probably sounded soppy and obsessive, but he couldn't help it. After the recent serial-killer case, he had started to worry about her safety. There had been various threats on both of them, but it wasn't him he was worried about. He had to battle for the right to sleep on her sofa, but she had refused. "He's gone Booth, we arrested him, don't you remember?" she had answered. She was still worried about his brain.

His small nap didn't last long, he got a call at half past five. He answered it almost immediatly thinking of it being from Bones, her being in danger, but he wasn't entirely wrong.

The serial-killer was gone. "What do you mean he's gone?" Booth sat upright. The woman on the other end told him that there had been a driveby, wounding the officers acompanying him into prison... he had escaped, jumping into the next car with the door wide open.

As soon as the woman hung up, he rang Bones - there was no answer. He jumped up and ran for the door grabbing his keys on the way out.

He ran down the stairs, not waiting for the lift. As he jumped into his car, he got a call.

"Booth, did you get the call?". Booth sighed in relief. It was Brennan. "Bones!" he nearly shouted. "Booth, I just got your missed call" she heard Booth's engine starting. "You're not coming to get me are you?" she asked. Booth ignored her. "How did you get the call?" "Through Cam." she answered. "Cam always calls me, especially if I'm involved, which I always am." Booth snorted as he put his phone on speaker-phone. "Ok Bones, hold tight, I'm coming over." He warned. "Well, at least give me enough time to get dressed" Bones answered. Booth paused. He didn't wan't to risk to much time away from her. But he gave in. "Ok, I'll stop for coffee on the way over." But there was no answer. "Bones? Bones!". He threw his phone onto the passenger seat and sped up.


	2. Chapter 2

Booth spent the whole drive to Brennan's apartment wondering what had happened, though it wasn't a long one. He tried to stay optimistic, but he wasn't. What had happened? Why hadn't she answered? Was there another explanation that didn't have to do with her being in danger?  
On the way there he skipped various traffic-lights and when he got to Brennan's apartment's building he didn't even bother to park. But before he got to the bottom of the building's stairs, he breathed as he found Brennan running down them. She practically fell into his arms. Even given the circumstances, he couldn't help but feel pleased; he was always there to catch her when she fell, whether she knew it or not.  
He was brought back to reality when she said "Booth, we have to leave, there's something not right." And he could see so; she was in her slippers and she had her coat on over her dressing gown over her underwear. He tried not to think about it too hard as he reluctantly pushed her away from him so that he could see her face. Her hair was like crazy, but he still saw how pretty she was.  
"Bones, what's going on?" he asked. She was staring at him fiercely. "On the phone with you, I heard somebody else breathing, Booth, it wasn't you". Booth trusted her analysis of his breathing without question. She continued as they turned to leave "And when I stopped talking, he laughed." she looked at him. "He was laughing, Booth."  
Booth knew why he hadn't noticed. He had been concentrating to hard on her voice... he couldn't believe how naive he had been.  
When they were in the safety of Booth's car, Brennan's phone rang. Booth froze up and bent over to see the caller ID. "It's Angela" Brennan told him, letting him breath easy. As she picked it up, Booth looked at his watch. It was six o'clock, though he didn't know what Angela's calling limits were. He didn't even know his own.  
As he was trying to listen in, he got a call from Cam. She was making sure that he knew about their serial-killer escaping. They were all meeting at work at seven. As he hung Brennan was waiting to tell him something. "We're meeting at seven in the lab." She told him. "Yep, Cam just told me." Booth replied, as he started scanning Brennan's choice of clothes carefully enough to know that she must be freezing. He turned on the heating.  
"Bones, are you sure you don't want to get dressed?" Booth asked her before he started the engine. "You're not cold?"  
"Aren't you?" she answered. Booth looked down at himself. Under his jacket he had only a vest on. It seemed like neither of them were good at leaving in an emergency.  
"OK, fair enough. But you can't walk around like that. At least stop by my house and get a pair of socks or something." She smirked. "No, I've got a set of clothes in my office." though she knew that her feet were cold. "OK..." Booth started the engine and they left for the Jeffersonian. Brennan started to think about why Booth was worrying so much about her when she remembered the coffees, but she let it go. If he had gone for the coffees, she thought, he wouldn't of been there in time to hold me in his arms. She wasn't even sure if she fell there by accident or on purpose. She managed a sideways glance at her partner. As she sat there submerged in her own thoughts, Booth tried to look normal as he thought of why he offered her his socks is he knew that she would decline. Did he just want her at home, with him, safe, where he could watch over her? Then his thought jumped to the possibility that, if they couldn't catch there persecutor today, he could sleep on her couch, in her home... He felt her eyes on him.  
"What are you thinking about?" she asked. At first it sounded like a profound quote, but then she said "Normally you won't stay quiet. And now I know why. Thinking around you is difficult, at least it is for me." She didn't blush, she was just stating a fact.  
Booth replayed it in his head.  
"What?" he asked, dumbfounded.**  
**


	3. Chapter 3

"You know, you're extremely distracting." she said. Booth wasn't sure how to react. He knew that it wasn't a compliment, but he pressed on, wondering if she thought about him as much as he thought about her. "Bones, was that a compliment I heard?" he wondered aloud. She stared at him, looking confused. "I don't see how." she answered, but then she realized that maybe it wasn't normal, maybe she though about him too much. But they did spend a lot of time together, so maybe that's what happened, she had never spent much time with anyone as much as with Booth. She stopped thinking about him, though it was difficult. She tried to think about they're case so far. They knew it was John, he had just gone to prison for it. She wondered if they needed her people on this and why. How where they supposed to find out where he had gone. Wasn't that more of Sweets' department? She wondered if he was meeting them too.

When they got to the Jeffersonian it was still very early, so nobody noticed Booth and Brennan, wearing near to nothing, run inside. The team was waiting for them and didn't look surprised by they're choice of clothes. Angela was in her pyjamas too, and Hodgins in a tracksuit. Brennan wondered once again if Sweets was meeting them again. Cam wasn't there yet, but she knew that she was coming because she had called Booth saying so. Angela grabbed Brennan's arm and they both went to change, which left Booth conversing with Hodgins. He sighed as he listened to Hodgins' theory about the conspiracy possibilities in the case. He looked after Brennan as if in need of her assistance, but he caught Angela's eyes instead. She laughed at him and strutted of. Sometimes, he wondered if she knew.

Angela was talking to Brennan as they both got dressed in her own office. "Sweetie, I don't like these cases. And this time it's different, he's out and he knows who put him away. He's going to come after us." Brennan studied her face. She didn't feel scared, but it was probably because she knew how to take care of herself… and she had Booth with her every hour of the day… She struggled to find words of comfort. Her mind skipped to Booth. 'Was that normal?' Brennan thought. 'But if it was anything important, Angela would of found out, wouldn't she?' She wondered if it bothered having him in her thoughts, especially as she was getting dressed, but she wasn't sure it did.

"Well, at least he's not monitoring your phone calls." Brennan tried, but she wasn't sure it made Angela feel any better. Sometimes she hated not understanding people, and people not understanding her, except for Booth of course.

"He's been listening in on your phone calls? Did he listen to us?" Angela said as she looked even more worried. "No, not ours, mine and Booth's" Brennan reassured her. For a few moments, Angela's interest changed course. "Booth called you straight after he found out?" she said, obviously impressed. Brennan was pleased that she looked better. "Well, yeah, he called me at four and then at half five. He is my partner." Angela stared. "John's been out since four?" John was the serial killer. "No, he escaped around half five." Brennan didn't understand why Angela jumped to that conclusion. "What was Booth calling you at four for?" she asked. "Oh, I guess to see if I was alright." Angela smiled. "You have to admitt, the way that he cares about kind of hot" she grinned. Brennan tilted her head to the side. "It was actually really annoying, he's lucky I'm used to getting no sleep" but she couldn't help smiling to herself. Angela grinned as she saw this, though she pretended not to notice.

They heard a knock and saw Booth standing in the doorway with his eyes covered by his hand. He stood there in the doorway and started to speak, but Angela interrupted "Booth, we're dressed" she laughed. She smirked as she knew that was more to impress Brennan than anything else, though she didn't seem to be so. "Don't be silly, Booth, I've seen you naked loads of times." Angela couldn't help but butt in. "What?" she demanded. Booth blushed and turned to Angela "She just walked in on me in the bath, nothing big" he tried to reassure her.

"And you stood up" Brennan reminded him. Angela's mouth fell open, though Booth tried to ignore her, coughed, put his serious face on again and said: " Come on, Sweets is missing."


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a long day and there was still no sign of Sweets; Hodgins had ran around town and was still looking; Cam was making phone calls to numerous people, mostly to make complaints about how anyone could let him get away, and she was completely frantic, Angela too. She was making scenarios randomly, knowing that there wasn't much she could do to help. She was wondering what she would do, what anyone here would do, if something happened to Sweets, of all people. `At least they all new that John took a week become his victim's friends; he saw himself as misunderstood, with no friends, so he told them his whole life. ´Sweets is a psychologist` Angela thought `He'll push all the right buttons to keep himself alive as long as we need to find him` but she couldn't help thinking that she would rather it be her than him, he was just a kid. She constantly came out of her office to tell everyone to hurry up.

Daisy was helping Brennan go over and over the bones of John's victims to find any clues to where he could be. She was being extremely quiet, which everyone found unusual, though nobody was themselves. Booth had been called various times to possible crime scenes and had recently got a very probable place. He tried to sneak out like he had done before but this time Brennan caught him.  
"Booth, are you going to find Sweets? You've left me here all day, I'm coming." She didn't even wait for an answer as she took off her lab coat and grabbed her coat to come after him. Booth finally considered this… this couldn't be the real deal like many of the other calls he had had, and she would probably be safer with him than here now that night was falling… he had managed to keep her away for this long, and now he could keep her safe properly. Then he could drive her home and make sure nothing happened to her on the way home.  
He gave in. "Ok, you can come, as long as you let me drive you home." Brennan thought, and looked at her watch. "But I might be needed here to help later on…"she bit her lip and Booth put her under his arm. "Bones, we're going to find him and Daisy is here to do all the bone stuff… you need to get some sleep." He felt a bit embarrassed as he remembered the reason. Brennan calculated it her head… as soon as Booth left, she could come back. She knew he wasn't going to let her decline and she was going. And it was hard to argue with him when she was distracted by being that close to him. She had always loved the way he put her under his arm, along with many other things about him. ´But it's not like that´ she told herself.  
She cared about Sweets though, and she was coming to help. She knew that she could be very useful. "O-k." she decided aloud. They rushed out.

Sweets was sitting across the table from John. He was thinking about the irony in this; the hunter and the hunted, sitting at the same table, eating. He tried to think straight, but he was not good under pressure. He knew that if he held on long enough, Booth and Brennan would come to find him, but he couldn't help feeling completely paranoid. As he had woken up with no clue of what had happened, he didn't want to be put to sleep the same way. He studied his surroundings but found nothing that would help him discover where he was. He knew that John wouldn't poison food, but he still didn't want to eat, partly because he was suspicious and partly because he wanted to show John that he wasn't in control. Sweets looked up at John, who was telling him about his childhood. and wiped the sweat from his face.

Booth and Brennan were coming back from the site; another fake call. Booth was getting the horrible feeling that somebody was playing with him. Brennan wasn't talking to him because he hadn't let her go in with him, he had let his friends make sure that she didn't go near. She felt extremely annoyed and useless, what could she do to find Sweets, what could any of them do? She remembered that they weren't even on the case, it was just a few favours for Booth anyway. They were at her building now and Booth was casting her sideways glances.  
"Ok, you can come in, but you're leaving."


	5. Chapter 5

"I don't know how long you think you're staying here" said Brennan, coming back into her living room to find Booth lying on the sofa with his shoes kicked off, holding in one hand the TV remote and in the other a soda. Booth pretended he hadn't heard her. "Anyway…" Brennan started, thinking of getting back to the lab "I'm going to bed, so you better go." Booth turned round to look at her. "I'll go, but I'm just gonna make sure everything here is in order" he turned back round "Especially the TV." he chuckled. "Ok, hmm… what we got here… Oh The Simpsons! Perfect".  
Brennan sighed. "Really, Booth?" she stared at him. She was starting to realize that he had never planned on leaving. "C'mon Bones, you've never watched the Simpsons?" Brennan sighed again. "Goodnight Booth." She left the room, leaving Booth alone. He was off his guard now, and he fully started to worry about Sweets. He didn't know why, but he tried to hide it in front of her. He thought that if she saw him worried, she'd break down to, though he knew it was stupid to think so. He looked around and observed the change of scenery. Last night he had been on his couch worrying about her and tonight he was on her couch worrying about her. He sighed and tried to concentrate on the TV.  
Brennan was in bed, face up, lying awake. Of course she hadn't undressed, she liked to believe that she was leaving soon, but she could still hear the TV in her living room. But now, her thoughts weren't where they should be, with Sweets. They were with Booth. She had a strong urge to go into the living room, and eventually, she did.  
Booth didn't object to Brennan coming in to watch TV with him. They sat in silence looking at the TV, not really watching it. He didn't object when she told him how scared she was for Sweets, and he confessed that he was to. He held her tight, and soon she fell asleep on his lap. He tried to stop his heart from beating too loud as to not wake her up. He didn't dare move for fear of waking her, and soon he too fell asleep. It was the first proper night of sleep he had had in months. He knew it was pathetic, though he wasn't sure he cared.

When Brennan woke up she was surprised at where she was. She really had to stop hugging people when she go scared. She got up slowly, careful not to wake up Booth. She didn't want to look at the time because she knew that it would make her feel bad about not continuing to look for Sweets. Seeing the state of her hair she decided not to go to the Jeffersonian until she had had a wash. She couldn't help peaking at Booth, wondering why it was always him she went to when she was distressed, and not Angela or Hodgins… or anyone. Before she could make herself find a deeper meaning she decided that it was because he was always there, whereas none of the others were.  
She hadn't even undressed when there was a noise like glass breaking somewhere in her home. `Crap` she thought. `This is what happens when Booth doesn't give me a gun`. She tiptoed her way towards the bathroom door and listened. It sounded like Booth was awake already as she tried to open the door. She recoiled in surprise as she felt the burning heat radiating from the handle. She looked down at her feet and saw smoke seeping from underneath the door. She grabbed a towel to turn the handle but the door was stuck, and her immediate reaction was to bang as hard as she could and started to shout out Booth's name. After a few seconds she could hear him replying "Bones, stay clear, I'm going to knock the door down". Brennan put down the shower head she had torn down to use as a barricade. There was a great hole in the door within seconds. He made a space big enough so as she could fit through, and when she got out she gasped as she saw the damage. Booth wouldn't let go of Brennan's hand as they rushed for the door.  
As soon as they got out of Brennan's building the fire department arrived, as Booth had called them as soon as he could. When they had both calmed down, Booth went back in with Brennan to see if there had been anything that had survived the fire. Angela, Hodgins, Cam and Daisy arrived halfway through they're search. Brennan was standing, looking at a painting on her wall that had been melted away by the fire. Nobody could tell what she was thinking. All Booth was thinking was that it was his fault. All Hodgins was thinking about was Sweets. Daisy stood silently in a corner.  
Brenna touched the canvas, felt that it wasn't hot and took it down. She sighed in relief as she saw that the safe that was hidden behind it was in tact.  
Angela took a step towards her. "Sweetie, are you OK?" Brennan looked at her. "C'mon Bren, lets get you to my house to get you some rest" she told her soothingly. Brennan caught a glimpse of Angela's watch. "Ange, there's no time. This man has Sweets."

**Yes, the plot is crappy. Bear in mind, this is my first fic.**


	6. Chapter 6

Sweets was supposed to be asleep, but he wasn't. Every now and then, the bedroom door would creak open and he would keep his eyes closed.

He stomach was sick with fear, it drove him mad that John could just loose it and kill him. He never signed up to this, he was just a shrink.

He hadn't done anything really, he never asked to put his own life in danger.

As the hours ticked by, he couldn't help but wonder if he was going to die, if by the time Booth and Brennan got there, it would be too late. Or maybe something had happened to them; John had told him rather happily that he wasn't receiving any visits, though he hadn't left his side. Sweets had spent long enough just talking to the maniac, trying to get through, though he didn't want to push him too far. He had never sweated this much, and he felt like fainting every time the psycho opened his mouth.

He didn't close his eyes; he was in a room with a bed and a bedside table. He had tried many times to look out of the window but it was covered with plaks of wood. HE wasn't the hero type; he knew that Booth or Brennan would have tried to escape by now, but he just couldn't pluck up the courage.

Back at the Jeffersonian, everyone was sitting on the platform. It was midday, Booth and Bones were wide awake though the rest of the team was exhausted; they had barely slept. Brennan felt extremely guilty and Booth was trying to hide it. But he still wouldn't let Brennan out of his sight… what would have happened if he hadn't been there? He didn't want to think about it to hard but he realized that she wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for him…

"OK" he started, the first one to speak "I'm going to tell you all what I think; I think that this wasn't the same person; c'mon, it's not his style…" he looked to see the reaction.

Cam continued "Yeah, I know what you mean… it's very strange that he has had a direct approach, and now, well… it's extremely unlikely that it was him in person…"

Booth jumped up, ready for action "Ok, Bones, go see if you've had any possible recent threats that you could have possibly ignored." Brennan ran to her office and Angela followed. Booth sat back down and massaged his brow. Cam looked at him worried.

"Seely, are you sure you don't need any sleep?"

Booth looked up at her. "Camille, you, Hodgins and Angela are the ones that need to sleep." he said to her. He himself felt completely rested; better than he had in months. He felt himself get warm under his suit.

He and Brennan had had to get changed again after the fire… Brennan was wearing some of Angela's clothes seeing that she lost hers. Booth had to admitt that Angela was slightly taller than Brennan, so her clothes were a bit big on her. Brennan didn't want to buy new clothes until Sweets was safe; she couldn't think about clothes and she was going crazy trying to make up for all the lost time that she had wasted.

Booth looked over at Hodgins, who was fighting with all his will the need to sleep, though he was slowly slipping into a deep one on the autopsy table. Booth clapped loudly. "Hey, Hodgins, go and get some sleep." he told him loudly. Hodgins nearly jumped out of his skin but after that he just fell asleep on the floor. Brennan was careful to tread around him when she got back and Angela bent down to his side. Soon, she and Daisy were taking Hodgins home to go get some sleep and food; apparently he hadn't ate since yesterday morning.

Brennan handed her laptop to Booth; since last night they had had six e-mails from John. Booth froze. He looked up at Brennan, and Cam came to join.

"Wow, he does not seem happy." she stated the obvious. "Do serial killers send e-mails? That's'something I've never seen."

"Modern times call for modern serial killers. Don't you just love the 21st century?"

Apparently, he didn't like being caught, but he seemed to be getting fond of Sweets company.

"This, is ridiculous, how did he get your e-mail address, or your phone number? How did he even find Sweets?" Cam seemed to be doing most of the thinking.

Brennan thought too. "I don't know…" she looked at Booth for ideas, though she didn't know why.

Booth saw that all eyes were on him and he decided to leap to conclusions and see if anyone would take any notice. "Maybe, there's someone on the inside, a leak of some kind…" he said. He knew Brennan wouldn't like this after Zack, but this was becoming even more serious. To get out of the room, he said "I'll go call the FBI, see if they've got anything." Brennan stared after him. He mad a good point. Though when he came back, he seemed happy. "Bones, c'mon, they've found John!"

* * *

**jsiebert: Thanks for letting me know, I had no idea, I just copy and paste xD Is that better?**


	7. Chapter 7

"They've found him on a surveillance camera in a grocery store; it's strange, it's like he wants us to go." Booth was filling Brennan in on the drive there. He had known that this time there was really no way to make her stay, and he thought it would be insulting her not letting her come. He had made sure that it really was him, he had seen the tape. He had wanted to make sure that this time it wasn't fake. He and Brennan had watched Sweets buy some cabbage and hand over a note with a five dollar bill. He had looked so terrified he could barely stand. There was someone waiting in a car outside, and they had taken off as soon as Sweets left. They had watched Sweets hesitate in the doorway, and they both knew that he was thinking of running for it. They had gone to talk to the clerk, and he had said that he contacted the police straight after he had left, before even reading the note.

Brennan was determined not to rest until Sweets was fine and safe again, and she was feeling extremely nervous. She could tell that Booth was nervous too.

"I agree" she finally said. Booth took a while to remember what she was talking about. "I agree that this is too easy." she reminded him.

"Yeah well, we're ready." He assured her. Brennan was quiet again. She was thinking about Angela, Daisy, Hodgins… They had all tried to come, though Angela gave up in the end, and Hodgins did with her. He wasn't leaving her alone. Angela and Brennan had hugged before they had left; but now Brennan was doubtful; she had been assuming that the hugs Booth gave her were the same as all the rest, but it did not feel the same at all. And that was a friend hug so… what were Booth's hugs? Though it could be that Angela was another woman… though deep down she knew that that wasn't the case. She sighed, trying to think of something else to distract her for what lay ahead, but she couldn't help thinking, _where did she stand with Booth?_

When they arrived, the swat team hadn't arrived yet. It was a motel, though a strangely luxurious one.

"I don't like it Booth, this place gives me the creeps" she told him, as they got out of the car.

"OK, Bones, we're gonna have to wait for the team." Brennan watched him as he looked like he was going to run in anyway. They waited a few minutes, still with no sign of the team. Booth looked really uncomfortable now. "Bones, something's not right." He took his phone out of his pocket and rang. There was no answer. As soon as he hung up, he got a call.

"Why hello Special Agent Seely Booth. You should know by now, you're friends aren't coming." the mocking voice sent chills down his spine. Brennan was staring at him. "Who is it?" she mouthed. Booth looked up to the motel, and was surprised when he saw John, looking out of the window, smiling at him. Brennan followed his gaze and brought out her gun. Booth couldn't help feeling surprised.

"The kid won't last long if you don't leave, which is a shame because a rather enjoyed his company. Unlike you, he understands me." John told him through the phone. "But you know I don't like all the attention" He laughed.

"Yeah right, you live for attention, Johnny." Booth answered, and he hung up, ready to go inside. He looked up at the window and watched John lean out of it, holding a knife.

"You better leave" he shouted out the window, and this time he didn't look like he was joking at all.

When Booth went to answer, he had gone, but he still shouted "You know we've beaten you!" in vain. It was quiet. Brennan opened her mouth to talk, but it was interrupted by a yell.

"Sweets!" they both said in unison. Booth looked once more to see if backup was anywhere near, and ran towards the motels door. Brennan followed, holding her gun in front of her without hesitation.

"Everybody out-" Booth started, but they both stopped to a halt. It was completely empty, there was dust covering every surface and there were cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. Booth looked at Brennan and immediately got nervous for her though she looked far from it. "Bones, get behind me" he said in a way that was not to be argued with.

Brennan, after hesitating, obeyed. She liked to think that she could take care of herself, but now was not the time to argue about silly things, even though she was willing to help. They advanced slowly in silence that was unnerving, until… "Booth!" Brennan shouted out, reaching out as he staggered to the floor. She didn't know what had happened until she saw a knife in his chest, his blood spreading. His expression was a surprised one.

He tried to speak, but only one word would come out : "Bones…". And when he looked up into her eyes was when she noticed, when she finally realized; she loved Booth; even though she didn't believe in love, he had shown her how to; she was a part of him and he was a part of her, for better of for worse, and that part of her was dying. "Booth, stay with me, come on!" she had forgotten where she was when she bent down to kiss him lightly on his forehead.

She was startled as she looked up quickly as soon as she heard John's voice. "Oops" he said, smiling, leaning in the doorway. "Sorry for that." Brennan was torn as she stood up.

"You bastard" she said, not taking an eye of off Booth. She reached for her gun, but it wasn't there.

"No no no… you're not getting that back until you apologize." he mocked, though he looked serious. "I do not tolerate that kind of language." he seemed to be getting angrier, like a volcano about to erupt. Brennan was about to grab Booth's gun when John pointed her own gun towards her. After the pause, she took another look at Booth. He wasn't going to leave her now, she wouldn't let him. But, as a small sign of hope, she spotted Sweets walking up behind him. She tried to mask her relief as she tried to think of something distracting. " Umm… I need to call an ambulance." she said, that was the best she could come up with. It seemed to amuse John, but not for long. "You know I'm winning." he told her.

"Oh no John, you're wrong" John turned to see where the voice had came from, though the only thing he got to see was Sweets' fist. He was knocked out cold, though Sweets had recoiled in pain. "Oh my god, his face is hard!" was all he could manage before fainting. Brennan ran to grab her gun back and only then did back up arrive, to find three men on the floor and herself left standing, though they did not hesitate to ask questions as they lifted the three of them into ambulances.

**God, I don't know why, but this is really embarrassing!**


	8. Chapter 8

"Oh my god you're alright!" Angela had been waiting worried for too long, and as soon as she saw Brennan come in she ran up and hugged her. Brennan had been given an 'OK' from the doctor but she was still scared for Booth; they wouldn't let her see him.

In the waiting room, Brennan told a terrified Angela what had happened, though leaving certain things out. She had to let herself fully realize what was going on in her brain… Booth would say what was going on in her heart. Angela was staring at her the whole time, every now and then insisting that she should come home with her, Brennan refusing each time. She sighed. She had to be truthful to herself this time, and not run away when things got tough. Though, as she observed Angela's worried face, she wanted to tell her. She wanted to shout it out to everyone, but she wouldn't. Now, the word love, in her head or anywhere else, made her nervous, and she just felt silly. How did she even know it was real? Maybe she should ask the expert… could she? She looked up again into Angela's face; she had been hiding her own when she thought about him, in case she noticed. Though that was silly.

"Ange-" she started "Um… there's something I need to ask…" but she was interrupted by Sweets coming through the patients door. Angela jumped up to hug him as she had Brennan, but she realized it was hurting him when he winced, so she had to let go quickly. Sweets was covered in bruises and cuts, and he looked a deathly white. Daisy was accompanying him. She looked like she wanted to squeal out her joy, and she was trying really hard to keep it in, given the circumstances.

"Oh, Sweets, you look terrible." said Angela, backing away, her brown furrowed in pity. She was completely lost for words, as was Brennan. Daisy's face was pained now.

"He has to stay in the hospital over night" she told them "Just in case…" she droned off.

Angela was extremely impressed at Daisy's self control, though not as much as what Sweets had managed to do. This time, she hugged him softly. "I'm so glad you're all right." she told him. "I'm glad that all of you are all right" she corrected herself. She hoped, no she knew, that Booth was going to be all right.

They all waited in silence for Booth's diagnosis. Hodgins and Cam came soon after. As the hours wore on, Brennan started to get twitchy; she hated this. She remembered the last time that they had all been in this situation. It was always Booth; she suddenly wished that it was her there instead of him, at least he would be safe.

She watched as Angela fell asleep in Hodgins arms, and she was reminded of the other night she had spent with Booth; that made her immediately worried and light-headed at the same time. She breathed out heavily and put her head in her hands.

"When are the results coming!" she wondered allowed. She was getting extremely frustrated, and was considering going in anyway. She hated being apart from him at a time like this. Cam noticed Brennan's annoyance and went over to sit by her.

She had already decided that if… something she hated to think… Booth didn't make it, she would tell her the feelings he had for her. She knew that it was none of her business, but she also knew that Booth would want it. She sat down next to Brennan and put her arm around her. She knew that it was Angela's job, but Angela was out like a light. Brennan appreciated the thought, not really caring who it came from. She finally sat up and looked at the ceiling.

"What was it like? When you and Booth were dating."

Cam was surprised by the question. "Erm… I don't quite understand the question Dr Brennan." she answered, wondering why she had asked. She wondered if she wondered right. "Um… Booth is a great guy" Cam said as an answer. "He's sweet, funny, brave…" Brennan looked at her.

"Yeah… I guess he is" she said with a smile. Cam smiled back. That was when the doctor came in, smiling too. Everyone stood up, and Brennan was startled to see that everyone had been staring at her and Cam. She wondered if they had been listening in on them. Angela had a sly grin across her face, and Brennan wasn't sure if it was because of what she might of heard or the news from the doctor that had just.

"The wound was deep, but we managed to save him. A few days in hospital and he should be fine." Brennan wouldn't believe him, it was too good to be true. She had learnt to teach herself that reality was a dark and lonely place. Until Booth.

"Can I go in to see him?" she asked, not caring if she sounded eager.

"Yes, of course, but only one visitor at a time, OK?" In answer, Brennan asked for the room number. Nobody argued as she left, and they all sat back down. Everybody was smiling, but Angela and Hodgins where exchanging knowing smiles in between them.

"Isn't it cool how we can communicate without talking" he said to her. Angela nodded in response.

On the way to his room, Brennan had a war going on in her head. Should she tell him her feelings for him, did he feel the same way? She looked back on recent events, and remembered the way he looked at her. But she didn't dare give herself false hope. She had to keep on reminding herself that what she thought she felt didn't have to be real; yes, she loved him, she smiled as she remembered _'In an atta boy kinda way'_. Hmm… had he looked sincere then? Had she misinterpreted him?

She stopped thinking as soon as she reached his room. Now, all that was important was that he was safe. She took a deep breath as she walked in.

Brennan bumped into a nurse on her way out. "He's still asleep" she told her. "You'll have to wait for him to wake up".

Brennan nodded, showing that she understood, and proceeded. Booth was, asleep, though her presence seemed to stir him. She looked at him and sighed, a small tear rolling down her cheek. Sooner or later, everyone she cared about got hurt, and Booth got hurt more than anyone she cared about. She hated love, it was ridiculous and useless, it only made her hurt even more inside. She took a chair and sat next to his bed.

Before she sat down, she kissed him lightly on the lips. "That's for all the trouble you've caused me" she said. She wondered if he would remember when he woke up. Did she want him to? Was this really worth risking they're partnership together? It pained her to think that she might need to keep her feelings a secret, to deny them if anyone asked. What if Booth asked?

She sat there, holding his hand for a while. When he woke up, she felt like laughing loudly. "Bones!" he said, strangely energetic, not telling her how happy he was that she was the first one he saw, once again. He blinked once or twice and sat up, wincing as he did so.

"Booth, you're awake!" she answered happily. She couldn't help but remember what she had been thinking about. Her smile faltered, and Booth noticed.

"Bones, what's wrong? Is everyone all right? Is Sweets OK?" he asked.

"Oh, no, everyone is fine, we've all been worrying about you."

Booth frowned. "What happened? I got a knife in me? What the hell? I'm happy you were fine without me… unless… this is real right?" Brennan tilted her head.

"Yes it's real, what made you say that?" 'keep it cool' she told her self, and laughed inside at her colloquialism. She was very amusing lately. Booth stared, realising that she was having a conversation in her brain.

"What, am I not invited up there?" he joked.

"Oh, I was just thinking about what happened… Sweets knocked John out" she said, hoping to distract him.

"He what? Now I don't get to be the hero." He did look disappointed.

Brennan tried to comfort him. "You were very heroic" she told him, holding his hand. Booth got butterflies in his stomach and remembered something.

"What did you do? After I fell wounded heroically, I mean." Brennan froze.

"Nothing -to you- you went out as soon as the knife hit you" she lied. She wasn't sure that she could confess her feelings yet. "I saw Sweets coming, I distracted John for a few seconds and Sweets got one on him." But Booth had lost interest. He could catch up on everything later. It figured that the highlight of the day turned out to be a fake. He groaned as he rolled over slightly to get a better look a Brennan. His chest hurt like hell.

"Wow, he got me right in the heart, huh" he laughed. "What?" Brennan demanded. Booth looked at her. "Just like Cupid's arrow" he smiled. Brennan frowned.

"I don't know what that means."

Booth chuckled. "Wow, and you're supposed to be an expert on mythology and old stuff."

"Stuff it not a correct way of phrasing." Booth looked at her.

"Look at me, I'm practically on my death bed and you're correcting me. Pass me pudding then."


	9. Chapter 9

**This was before the 100th episode... bear in mind.

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**

Everything had seemingly gone back to normal; Booth and Sweets were released from the hospital, Sweets had started coming back to work and Booth had been immediately reinstated as soon as he got a 'clean bill of health'. John was now definitely in jail, with a sore jaw.

Today was Booth and Brennan's first 'couples counselling' since 'the incident', as both of them decided to call it. When they arrived, they went in cautiously, one after another. Booth still felt sorry for Sweets, and Brennan hadn't told anyone about her feelings for Booth; she was extremely cautious around him or anyone. It had started to annoy her that Angela kept on smiling knowingly when they were together; her and Booth or just Angela and herself.

Usually talking about Hodgins worked as a distraction, though she wasn't a big fan of girl talk, and there was only so much she could take. Apparently, Angela was really struggling emotionally with the whole Wendell-Hodgins thing. And that just made Brennan felt guilty at not paying much attention before.

Sweets was more or less his old self, now extremely proud of what he had survived through. Brennan and Booth sat down on the sofa opposite him, waiting for him to speak first. "OK" Sweets started as soon as he noticed

"You can talk now, we just had a drink together last night. Stop acting weird." It sounded like he was pleading.

Booth turned to Brennan and pretended to whisper "I dunno Bones, should we talk to the hero, the one who saved the day? The big cheese" he asked teasingly, flashing his smile at her.

"Hmm…" Brennan started to think of an answer. "First, I don't know why he is a cheese, and second: Are you sure that we won't brake him?" she wondered allowed.

Booth smiled. "What? An old hero like that?" he turned to Sweets. "Good to have you back kiddo!" he slapped him on the back.

"Ow!" Sweets said. "Please stop doing that." He winced. But now that everyone was smiling again he felt more comfortable.

"OK, OK, we've had our fun… now it's time to get serious and talk about the recent events." He hated to be a party-pooper, but then again, he didn't. This party hurt.

"Oh, um…" Booth sat up straighter and leaned over. "I happen to think that everything's just like it was before… Right Bones?"

Brennan was quick in her response. "Yeah, sure, not counting the fact that Sweets is probably traumatized for the rest of his life" Booth glared at her as Sweets looked uncomfortable again. Oops, she didn't like this having to lie, it made her rational and uncaring. "Um, but… yeah, everything's fine!" she wondered if she sounded too enthusiastic.

Sweets was eager to change topic. "Well, if you need me, I'm here." he said.

Booth looked at him, concerned. "Sweets, you should know that I-" he turned on Brennan "-we, are always here for you." Sweets accepted the gesture, and he felt like part of the family. He chuckled to himself as his brain figured out that if this were a family, Booth and Brennan would be the parents. They were both looking at him, worried again.

"OK, now, seriously, stop it, it feels really weird when you two are staring at me."

Both of them looked surprised and they saw one mirror the other. "Ok, Bones, now you're freaking me out." Booth laughed.

Brennan realized that she was the only one who hadn't said anything remotely meaningful during there chat. When they both went to leave because Booth got a phone call, Brennan realized that she had to say something, as Booth silently egged her on.

Brennan could think of nothing else as she went over and hugged Sweets; she didn't have a way with words.

She wanted to think that it was the same as hugging Booth, seeing that they were both males, and she made herself the promise that it was and always should be. The chances of Booth feeling the same way about her as she felt for him were slim; she couldn't help but ignore her feelings. She had lived a happy life not knowing, she supposed, though when she knew, it had been happier. She would block her feelings from now on; only in an 'atta boy kinda way'. Part of the reason for not telling him was what had happened. Could she really risk loosing him? Booth, in silence, wondered the same thing about her.

When she finally felt ready to let go of Sweets, she quickly wiped a tear so that nobody could see.

"Whoa" said Sweets as they all stood in silence, waiting for someone to speak first. "Erm… Elephant in the room" he tried to make a joke; Brennan and Booth's response was to cringe as they left.

As soon as they were outside, Brennan asked "What does that even mean?"

Booth smiled his smile and asked her "So, do you want some pie, my place?" Brennan smiled back as se realized that everything was the same again.

Or so she thought. Recent events shad made Booth realize how much she meant to him. They were quiet for most of the walk, Brennan was, in a way, happy that she had decided to concentrate on work again, and Booth was, once again, summing up the courage. And this time there would be no clowns.

When they were at his house, having pie, he stopped eating, took a deep breath and waited for Brennan to notice. "Booth, aren't you hungry?" she asked, puzzled. Booth was getting really nervous now. He had done this all before. What would happen now he was going all the way?

Brennan leant towards him, as if to examine him closer. Her proximity made his heart beat even faster. Huh, proximity, now she was contagious.

"Booth, what's wrong, does you're chest hurt? Do you need to go the hospital?" she asked him, a worried look on her face.

"Oh, no, Bones, everything's fine, there's just, um, something I need to say now that my brain is completely functional."

Brennan stared. "You're brain has been functional for months, hasn't it?"

"Yeah…"

"So, why now?"

"Um…" this was harder than it should be. "I don't know, just listen." this was it, he was going to do it. "I need to tell you something, that I didn't get to say a few months ago, but, I wanted to."

Brennan was all ears. What had happened a few months ago? Could it be…? No, of course not.

He leant in this time.

"Ok, Bones, Brennan… Temperance… I've been looking at this all possible ways, and I just can't… " he stopped and looked into her eyes. "I'm in love with you."

He wished he hadn't said it as soon as the words came out of his mouth. He had just completely ruined they're partnership. Who had he been kidding? Oh god, what had he done?  
Brennan looked at him, bewildered. She was speechless.

"You know what? Just forget I said it, it didn't happen Ok? Bones, I'm so sorry if that was weird for you to hear…" He stood up, and Brennan stood up too, a bit frightened. "I just… I just… Sorry." Brennan looked at him.

"Booth, you're my best friend."

"I know, I know, sorry"

She stepped towards him. "Booth, I would die for you, you know that." He was confused.

"Me too, Bones" was all he could manage. He stepped closer this time, unable to stop himself. But this had happened many times, it was nothing to get excited about. But then he saw that she was smiling at him. In his wildest dreams he had not expected this reaction. Though she had decided against it, she felt completely powerless as she leant up on his warm chest and kissed him.

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**The end of my first fic EVER. Hope you liked!**


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